IOGEAR rolls out USB-sharing Net ShareStation

We're not exactly hurting for wireless, USB-sharing options right about now, but when it comes to devices that let us yank another cable from our desk, we're all for a bit of excess. This latest one comes to us from IOGEAR, which opted for the sharing-over-network method with its new Net ShareStation. Like other similar devices, this one plugs straight into your router (wireless or otherwise) and, in this case, accommodates up to four USB devices of your choice, although you'll need to provide your own AC-powered 4-port USB hub if you plan to use more than one device with it. If that last rather lame detail isn't a deal-breaker for you, you can get your hands on this one now for $80.

[Via Blast]

[Dualboot @ May 19th 2008 6:53PM]

I don't have time to ask IOGear, so I'll ask here:
Will this allow me to use my USB hub on the net and allow all of my machines to read/write to the flash drive that's on there?

If so, that's cool....

[Rich @ May 19th 2008 7:18PM]

To answer your question, yes it would.
This is like a USB cable replacement product.

[yaaya @ May 19th 2008 7:11PM]

I don't have time to answer your question, so I won't...

You are a tool, check out their website fool.

[Low Ranked @ May 19th 2008 7:36PM]

Give up rap
Your post was crap.

[Kapara @ May 19th 2008 7:24PM]

IOGEAR's new palm-sized USB Net ShareStation enables an external hard drive, flash drive, memory card reader, USB webcam, USB speaker, or USB Multi-Function Printer (MFP) to be shared on a network. With the versatility afforded by the USB Share Station, users can now enjoy their favorite multimedia content stored on their computer from anywhere in their home or office. A user can attach a standard USB webcam to the USB Net ShareStation as a simple and low cost security monitoring solution for their home and/or small office use.

Because the unit includes Multi-Function Printer sharing, any user can print, scan, or fax from any computer in their home. The USB ShareStation also supports a USB 2.0 Hub extension, which can support up to 4 USB devices over your home or office IP network. It complies with USB 2.0 specifications, and provides users with an auto-sensing 10/100Base-T port. The print server will even automatically identify your printer make/model upon connection.

When connecting IOGEAR's USB Net ShareStation to a wireless router, users can access their multimedia content and USB devices wirelessly. The UPnP technology enables quick and easy setup and configuration in a Windows Vista environment. It is a one-stop-shop for multi-functional network peripheral sharing and the number of applications is practically endless.



Note: Users may not achieve optimum audio/video streaming performance when connecting to the USB Net ShareStation through a wireless Ethernet router.

[karts41 @ May 20th 2008 2:16AM]

Thats amazing.

You dont happen to, you know, work for them? At all?

[Sam Zebian @ May 19th 2008 7:31PM]

This product came out in the perfect time! I am building a home server/media server (vista home premium running home server in a virtual machine, too cheap to buy 2 systems when I can do it in one), and I networked my system with the 2 external USB drives for network access, but it still wouldn't let me access the external drives, even though I marked them as shared drives. Maybe this will fix this, because I'm all out of PCI slots for a PCI sata controller card, and I don't want to spend $50 for just SATA, when I can just use this instead along with anything USB!

[Joseph @ May 19th 2008 7:41PM]

The only problem I see with this product is that it can never support the full USB 2.0 bandwidth.

[Jaws @ May 19th 2008 7:55PM]

goodness knows all those USB 2.0 devices already support it themselves *rollings eyes*

[Joseph @ May 19th 2008 8:26PM]

I have a USB flash drive that runs around 200Mbit/s which is already over the 100Mbit/s limit, and that is just a single device.

[jollyllama @ May 19th 2008 7:58PM]

Between the $40 you'd spend on a cheep router and the $80 price tag on this thing, wouldn't you be better off just buying a decent router with a print server and usb port built in?

[Joseph @ May 19th 2008 8:29PM]

This devices does more than printers.

[bebop @ May 19th 2008 8:36PM]

I agree with your point, but on the other hand there is something to be said for the flexibility of a portable, separate USB adapter. Besides the idea is presumably that you have a (non-US-enabled) router or switching hub already.

[AJ in the East Bay @ May 20th 2008 1:15AM]

There aren't many routers with USB ports. Most of those which have the USB ports use them for storing the LAN configuration on a thumb drive so you can copy the configs to different clients on the LAN. There is a Linksys router with a USB port that will recognize a hard drive but the reviews aren't that great.

[jollyllama @ May 20th 2008 2:05AM]

Huh. I didn't know this wasn't standard, I've been using Apple routers for the last few years (which include USB ports and a print server) and I guess I just assumed that was something you got with a good router. Learn something every day.

[Marc @ May 19th 2008 8:18PM]

This seems to be the first item (of this type) that supports a USB webcam. It will be interesting (to me anyway) to see how it works in practice with 1 or more USB webcams.

[Rich @ May 19th 2008 8:34PM]

I am going to also try the USB speaker, it seems like an interesting experiment...

[John @ May 19th 2008 8:50PM]

I guess people forgot about the Belkin Network USB Hub that has been out for half a year now.... and it can be found on sale at Best Buy for 79.99.... and it already has 5 powered USB ports.... hmmm.

[kent @ May 19th 2008 9:17PM]

So, you can hook up an iPod / iPhone / and Keyboard or anything like it (Graphic Tablet)?

On a Mac with an Airport Extreme? :)

How does this actually work? Will my Mac see the devices as network components or really think it is on the USB Ports?

I hope you can buy it in europe soon

[Kate @ May 19th 2008 9:28PM]

It looks a like nice gadget but sadly, only Windows.
The first question that comes in my mind that is it possible to hack ?
What kind on processor/operating system it has inside of it ?
Can you get your own code running there ? JTAG or some easier way
Or is it possible to write some kind of universal Linux driver
supporting any periphereals you want ?

Some of cheap wlan routers with usb support can do
about same and even more but they are not so tiny at all.

Kate

[mattydread @ May 19th 2008 9:55PM]

USB over the LAN, oh boy. I hope it's as simple as giving the hub an IP address and specifying a port for a specific USB device just like older multiple LPT port print servers. It had better not require each user to install some new IOGEAR program that needs to run in the background or something.

[shumba @ May 19th 2008 10:53PM]

I don't see how this could work without some sort of iogear process running on each PC connected to it. It also comes with an "installation CD" which also points to this (and the lack of OSX support, bummer).

[Oliver @ May 19th 2008 11:36PM]

dude... macbook air + airport extreme + IOgear Net Sharestation + 4 port USB hub = no more usb woes!!!

[Cassini @ May 20th 2008 12:22AM]

"...accommodates up to four USB devices of your choice..."

No, actually, it only accommodates one USB device of your choice.

[ambanmba @ May 20th 2008 6:26AM]

I think what most people on here are dreaming of is something more like this:
http://www.lindy.com.au/usb_firewire_extenders.htm

Which is much more expensive and that's for just low-speed USB (and it's not over IP... it's just extending the USB signal over CAT5 cable).

If you want true high-speed USB then you need something more like:
http://www.gefen.com/kvm/apple.jsp#Extenders

ambanmba
http://www.ambor.com

[ljun @ May 20th 2008 7:05AM]

belkin has a device similar to this that's available NOW, and is OS X compatible ....

[mike @ May 20th 2008 5:11PM]

Whats the Belkin device you refer to ?